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Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be special summoned by sending one face up trap card your opponent controls to the Graveyard.

Now one of his best monsters is Dark Magician the Dragon Knight. It prevents me from targeting or destroying his spell or trap cards. But with Trap Eater, it may not be a target effect or destroy to special summon it, but would Dark Magician the Dragon Knight's special ability still prevent me from summoning Trap Eater?

That's true but a friend of mine said that it's still a target effect because technically you still have to select one to send to the graveyard. So by his logic he says that it's still technically a target effect. But however I did point out to him. Dragon Knight's effect only prevents spell and trap cards from being targeted or destroyed. But sending something to the graveyard is not the same as destroying or targeting. What do you say about his logic?
– The rational duelistJan 9 '18 at 16:31

It is only a target effect if it includes the word target in the wording. Yugioh is a game where you take the literal text. Also sending to the graveyard is different to being destroyed. Reddit link on trap eater
– WhatsThePointJan 9 '18 at 16:47

1

A quote from the rules about what is/isn't a target effect may help make this clear and would help substantiate this answer as correct, if it is.
– doppelgreenerJan 9 '18 at 19:34

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@WhatsThePoint I'm not asking for clarification myself — I'm saying quoting the rules to show that only effects that say target are targeting effects, would demonstrate that trap eater doesn't target and therefore it's fine against dark magician.
– doppelgreenerJan 9 '18 at 20:02

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since it also says it sends the card to the graveyard instead of destroy, any effects that says applies to stuff getting destroyed does not apply.
– Tyler TrinhMar 15 '18 at 21:46